


Maybe this Christmas

by thecosmogirl



Category: Degrassi, Degrassi the Next Generation, Degrassi: Next Class
Genre: Christmas, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Dynamics, Fluff, Holidays, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:15:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27896674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecosmogirl/pseuds/thecosmogirl
Summary: A brand-new holiday fanfiction about friends, romance and family set in present day.
Relationships: Maya Matlin/Zig Novak, Miles Hollingsworth III/Lola Pacini, Sean Cameron/Emma Nelson
Kudos: 4





	1. Life Goes On

CHAPTER ONE

Life Goes On

Emma Nelson awoke bright and early 7:00 AM to her alarm buzzing and she was anything but chipper. It was a cold December morning and she shivered once she took the blankets off her in her king-sized bed.

A year ago she took a two week stint at the local hospital. She overdosed on Ambien and it earned her a two week stay. She was diagnosed with depression and she takes medication daily. She didn't mean to overdose she would swear but sometimes she just feels nothing but emptiness inside that she can't explain despite being married, having a job, a supposed purpose, good friends and she almost feels guilty for being unhappy and wanting more and not completely satisfied with her life. She calls it a rut. For years she feels like she's been on autopilot and she doesn't really know why.

Spinner she figured was already at work and they've been pretty distant for the past few months. By now they've been married for ten years and do not have children. She'd call it a rut but he was her rock after the hospital. For the past year she had been doing what she'd say is she's simply okay but it'd be a lie. She keeps the hospital stay a guarded secret and a forbidden topic in the house but life goes on and frankly it's a reality that Emma has yet to accept constantly living in her head. Begrudgingly and careful not to be late Emma gets ready for work.

From the bathroom she sees Spinner who had just exited the shower and was wrapped in a towel, "Emma glad I caught you, can I ask you something?"

"Spinner you scared the ever living shit out of me, I thought you were at work."

"I don't have to be in for another hour." Spinner told her sitting down on the bed and then he patted the spot next to him.

"Well I'm running late and wish I could but -"

"Oh you thought?" Spinner laughed, "no but if you have time it's cool but there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Skeptically she asked him, "First it was a question, now it's a talk. Should I be worried?"

"I know your um libido has been like pretty much non existent since you've been taking the Zoloft and I was wondering if -"

"If I could carve in some time for us or better yet ask the doctor about another med, of course. I'll get right on that but in the meantime I gotta get to work so we can pay the rent and the bills and yada yada. We're okay. I promise."

Spinner although humored didn't feel that sentiment, and she had missed the mark by a lot. Finally he said, "Emma I wasn't done talking, I was thinking something along the lines of have an arrangement like an open marriage?"

"Are you fucking kidding me with this?"

"No, dead serious."

Furiously she exclaimed, The answer is no!" Emma questions him, shaking her head no, "no way. Are you serious right now? I have been true to you and I don't like polygamy!"

She raced down the stairs and he followed her down to the kitchen, "Think about it - this could be good for us."

"I met someone but I don't want things to change between us if they don't have to, right?" Spinner pleads as Emma paces in her work clothes unsure of how to talk about this thinking long and hard about why this has to sprung upon her a mere 45 minutes before she has to get to work, "please. I'm dying here."

"Who?"

"Who who?"

"Who do you want to do shit with, Spinner?"

"An ex you know her and she knows about you and -"

"So you're saying she knows about me and she's okay with this and more importantly WHICH ex are you referring to? Not to mention the fact you've been talking to another woman while we're married?"

"I didn't peg you to be so uptight about this."

"How would you feel if I invited Sean Cameron to sleep with me or Jay Hogart or Kelly or Peter for that matter?!"

"Not very good but I'd respect it? What's this got to do with the arrangement unless you are into it?"

"So you're free to fuck whomever and I gotta stand by you?"

"No you'd be free to be with who you wanna be with but at the end of the day we'd be together and nothing has to change!"

"Do you listen to yourself? Things would change drastically for that to even come close to working. God Spinner get your head out of the sand, I am not okay with this." Emma slammed the front door and left the house in a tizzy and she instantly bought herself a coffee at Starbucks. She was dreading going home.

She finally arrives to work and she sees Meredith, her much younger, confident, go-getting colleague who is always positively optimistic and camouflages her flaws so that they don't exist, "Good morning, Emma! It's going to be a beautiful day. I just know it." Meredith is obsessed with perfection and is a self-proclaimed perfectionist. Emma can't resent her because she is an absolute sweetheart to her and picked up the slack at work when she took her two week leave the year before. Meredith is boy crazy and is always meeting guys but she's looking for Mr. Right and not mr. right now she's always finding an excuse or something wrong with each guy she dates and has no problem finding someone new. Nothing could get her down. She was Emma's polar opposite when it comes to mood but she somehow lifts Emma's spirits.

"Good morning, Meredith." Emma sits at her side of the office and removes her winter coat and immediately hangs it on the hook by the lamp beside her desk. Sometimes Meredith can be a bit much for 8am. Emma sips her Starbucks and takes a seat and Meredith gives her the work for the day and while she's technically Emma's underling she always is kind to her and their friendship is genuine and she's a good listener. She's loaded so she gives the best Christmas gifts and she can drink Emma under the table any day. Since Manny moved permanently to LA, Meredith sort of fills that friendship void but nobody could replace Manny.

Preoccupied with work and making friendly conversation she asked, "So you still see that guy Roger? The one who took you ice-skating with roses?"

"Robert and that's a negative."

"How come? What was wrong with that one?"

"Oh you know I wasn't feeling it anymore."

She says that a lot of times and Emma smiled and questioned her, "When do you know when you feel it? You only knew him for a month? Who's to say he hadn't shown you all that he is?"

"I didn't feel it in my heart you just kind of know as corny as it sounds and the sex was subpar and blander than bland honestly." Emma uncomfortably sipped her coffee seeing as though she and Spinner hadn't been intimate for at least a year at this point and given the bomb he dropped this morning she sure wasn't in the mood to discuss at length her romantic woes. While Meredith is an open book Emma still feels uncomfortable sharing too much of her personal life with her.

By lunchtime they got the work done they wanted to do so they were able to take the full hour for some retail therapy and some sushi. Emma drove this time, usually they take Meredith's pink PT Cruiser she got when she sold Mary Kay for a summer. Once they left it was super snowy and the visibility was hard to navigate and they soon were stranded in the blizzard when Emma's car unexpectedly broke down.

Emma banged the wheel with her hands and started to cry. Meredith wasn't sure what to do so she patted Emma's back and tried to soothe her, "Breathe it's gonna be okay."

Emma tries to breathe but then she erupts into tears. She throws her hands up in the air and covers her face with her hands and then hits her steering wheel hard but not hard enough to where it beeped, , "It's not okay."

"Do you wanna talk about it? Oh honey, you can tell me and I'll take it to the grave. I promise you I won't tell a soul. I just hate seeing you sad."

Emma was by this point hysterical crying she hung her head and leaned her head against the steering wheel and she had done her best to hold it in and finally her darkest secrets are coming out, "My husband just told me this morning he wants an open marriage so he could screw his ex girlfriend who he refuses to reveal the identity of not to mention now the car is shot. Fuck my life."

"I am here for you.," Overall she remained supportive, "Emma, it'll be okay. We can call a mechanic and a tow and everything is going to be fine. I know a great lawyer. We'll let the guys at work know we'll be out for the rest of the day. Emma whines when she sees her phone is dead and where they are she has no service. She grimaces and looks at Meredith and they call up Tony's Garage where Jay works and he'd likely be lenient on the prices because Jay and Manny are together and she helped make it happen when they got together so she gets the friend discount.

"Thank-you Mer." Emma sniffled, wiping her smudged eyeliner with her hand she looked in the mirror she had pulled down and then looked to her friend, "But a lawyer?"

"Anytime Emma for your inevitable fall out with hubby."

Meredith dug in her big ass purse and pulled out makeup wipes and let Emma use Naked 3 palette and and smirked, "Here now wipe those tears and put on a happy face."

The young tow driver took the car and gave the women a ride to the garage to get an estimate on the car, "Wait here I'll go get the boss. "

And that's when Emma saw him, Sean Cameron who was in town, alive in the flesh and she looked as if she had just seen a ghost. "Well isn't this a blast from the past." He smirked in Emma's direction and gave her a hug. He couldn't help but observe Emma's rings on her left hand which meant she was spoken for but he didn't mention it aloud.

"Sorry to meet under these circumstances, since you're an old friend I'll give you a major discount."

"You don't have to."

"I want to."

Meredith looked at the two of them and asked Emma covertly, "Are we going to be introduced?"

"Sean Cameron, an old friend of mine."

"Meredith Kitteridge, it's a pleasure. Since I'm the one who suckered Emma into this mess I think I'll pay for her to get it fixed."

"Mer you don't have to."

"I want to."

"Meredith, I'll tell you what, don't even worry about it. Emma's an old friend."

After the garage, the working women decided to get drinks. Emma couldn't believe they've been reduced to 'old friend'. It sounded so foreign to her she often would say he was her first love but it'd sound weird if used in a sentence. As Emma sipped her drink she zoned out and was rather over this whole phony bar scene with Meredith. She came back to reality and heard over the music Meredith quipped, "So who is this Sean?"

Emma wanted to downplay the entire thing and she most definitely didn't want to talk about it, "Like I said he's an old friend. I won't bore you with the details."

"Please I'm dying here, what's he like?"

"You sound like those kids on Westdrive and I'd rather not say."

"Come on Emma! The way he was looking at you. It could make your hubby quite jealous and want to rethink the arrangement. I love a good scheme."

"Not a chance am I talking about this." Emma laughed it off and Meredith frowned, "Fine alright? All I know is that I haven't seen the guy in a decade, people change but last we spoke he was in the army. It was always his dream to graduate high school in his family and when that didn't happen and he got his equivalency and enlisted."

"Why do I feel like you're leaving out details? So you guys weren't close?"

"We were back then but life goes on, right? I don't want to talk about it."

"So it'd be cool if I asked him out for drinks?"

"Do what you want, it's not like he's looking at frumpy ole me. Just know he's got a good heart okay? Whatever you do, don't hurt him."

"I won't dare I mean, who doesn't love a guy in uniform?"

Emma beamed and excused herself outside the bar and she wondered what kind of guy he was. What kind of girl Meredith was how they'd likely clash but with her luck they'd fall madly in love and she gave her the blessing to ask him out. She knows she can't have him to herself but she didn't want Meredith , especially Meredith to take him out but she wanted to avoid the entire interaction and now she's going to get 21 questions from Meredith about Sean. Sean was always into her so the thought of him being into someone else sort of confused her in a not so good way. She knows they had both moved on but she feels oddly protective like he had always been of her with him.

She stamped out her cigarette and walked back into the bar to pretend for a while that all was fine. She sure needed a drink, perhaps make it a double.


	2. The Senior Breakfast

CHAPTER TWO

The Senior Breakfast

Lola Pacini is getting ready for the Senior Breakfast at school and this event has to go off without any issue. It's her big chance to prove to everyone that she's not the same vapid girl with rainbow hair from power cheer and can be a true leader. Her hair is dyed back to her natural brown, and she dresses much less flashy as she used to adopting the whole 'less is more' aspect. She put on a pink sweater with a grey cardigan and kept her medium length hair down as she looked in the mirror. She wants to prove that people can change and that she's living proof, senior year is her metemorphsis of sorts.

Senior Breakfast is when students and alumni get together with the current seniors and talk to them about where they are currently career and otherwise. It's kind of like a career day but with people who aren't really completely established and shows what is to come for the future.

She and Saad have been together for a long time close to a year and half and even though it's uncertain what direction the road of life might take post high school she does feel like she loves him. He couldn't invite her to come on the trip with his family because they still technically don't know they're romantically linked but they do know about her coming over a lot to 'study' in his room. They mostly spend time together at Lola's when dad's not home or at the Cantina but Lola has lofty ambitions for her future but what is the giant question mark. She doesn't want to spend the rest of her life at Lola's Cantina or in her hometown. She longs to travel and she was a bit hurt that he hasn't introduced her formally to the family even though she knows why but she feels like a secret and she doesn't like that feeling. There's no question that Saad loves her and feels her pain, but his hands are tied on the matter. The only person in the family who knows is his younger sister and she keeps it under wraps and helps them sometimes get to spend time together. She pretty much worships Lola because she finds her really cool.

Lola sort of became the lone wolf when Esme and Frankie grew closer and Shay was all busy with her athletics and being wrapped up with Tiny and planning her future with him. Shay and Tiny got engaged over the summer break and is coming to senior breakfast. She kind of understands though with Shay but Frankie? Friends since practically birth and sworn to be friends to the end but things don't work out that way. It hurts Lo more than she lets on.

She finally arrives at the event and everything looks the way she had envisioned and up to her standard. "Everything looks great guys," She beamed happily, "this event couldn't be anymore perfect."

And then she turned around and saw someone she wasn't expecting to see, Miles. She smile faded when he was walking toward her as if he was looking for her, "Lola it's really good to see you."

Lola nods uncomfortably and she simply just settles on, "Hey." She hands him a program for the event. He tells her some odds and ends about what he's been up to and eventually he trailed off because he assumed she didn't want to or care to know, "How have you been?"

"Fine, just fine." Lola kept her distance and then told him, "look sorry to cut this short but I gotta go it's sort of my event and I got to do a few things beforehand so I'll see you when I see you."

"It was good talking to you," he confesses as she walks away but doesn't look back.

Things started going well and the guests were mingling and students were speaking informally with their mentors until the majority food came uncooked which is the entire point of had to think fast and she decided she was going to use the cafeteria ovens to unthaw the bagels and toast them but she needed some help, she says outloud to whomever was speaking, "I have kind of an announcement, breakfast isn't quite ready yet but I'm going to need a special alumni volunteer to help in the kitchen. Our alumni speakers can talk about their life post high school now one at a time to line up by the stage."

Miles decided there wasn't much to talk about and wanted to help Lola who seemed pretty frantic and nervous when they first spoke so he wanted to make sure she was alright.

Lola steps into the utility closet to grab Miles an apron confessing leaving the door ajar because she knew the door sometimes gets jammed up, "I have a boyfriend."

"Please Lo, it'll only take a second or two. I've known you forever and I don't care if you got a boyfriend." She tosses the apron without much care to him and it just so happened to land on his head. He tears it off his head and ties it behind him not saying a word and trying to pick his next words more carefully.

She turned around and he was in the closet too she walks backwards softly telling him, "Don't -"

"What can't I have a hug?"

She begrudgingly put her arms around him and faked a smile and quickly pulled away, "Happy?"

He shrugged, "Not really."

He walked closer and shut the door behind him and she panics realizing he had shut the door behind him and they're likely stuck together, "Don't" and then he turns on the light in the closet and then sees its too late, "Don't shut the door."

"I just want to talk."

"About what?"

"How have you been for starters?"

"I told you in the caf earlier, I'm doing great." She faked a smile and attempted opening the door rolling her eyes, "great, now we're stuck here and I'm in big trouble because without breakfast we're toast. The event is going to suck."She sits on an empty milk crate and sighs with her head in her hands, "this was my big opportunity to prove myself and I failed. How do you think I'm doing?"

"Look I - I'm sorry and I'm not that fluent in sarcasm."

"Just don't talk to me." She narrowed her eyes and shot him a nasty look before she whipped out her cellphone and realized she can't call Saad to help her because he's visiting some family and Lola couldn't come along because she's hosting the senior breakfast not to mention she had no service, "I have no service, damn." She was contemplating what to do when Miles started talking instead of protesting. She was curious about what he was doing and what he had been up to but you wouldn't know it from the way she was speaking. She was guarded.

The room was quiet but he felt funny in silence and instinctively Miles took out his phone and noticed he didn't have service either, "Yeah, so Frankie and Hunter are out of town with my parents and I can't text them because I think they're in Aspen at the cabin."

She sadly lamented, "Frankie and I stopped talking ages ago."

"Oh, sorry. That's a real shame. You guys were really close."

"Keyword - were. We fell out, it doesn't matter. I really don't want to talk about it especially with you."

"What happened?" he softly asks.

"Nothing. Some people just drift and besides I've been replaced with Esme." She says in a sing-song voice, "They're bffs now."

"Oh her? Yeah I heard about what happened at my graduation. Why don't you wanna talk to me exactly? Is this about Frankie?"

"No it just doesn't matter."

"Clearly it does."

"Can we talk about anything but or just shut up and butt out. Let me guess you're here for the holidays?"

He smiles softly, "Is it obvious?"

"Just a bit."

"I expected my family would be around but they're not coming back 'till Christmas morning until then it'll just be me in my parents big house. I have a lot of writing to catch up with so it'll be like a fortress of solitude. Megan was supposed to join me here, we met backpacking in Europe with Winston. We were together for a while and then she ghosted me two weeks later. I find out she got together with Winston so we're not really talking. To add insult to injury I found out through Hastygram I was like the last person to know. I get what it's like to lose a best friend."

"That sucks." Lola offers him a compassionate smile, "sorry to hear you're going through that. You win, that's got to be the saddest story I've heard thus far so everything you said was just prewritten bs? Do you really miss your hometown and this school that much for your reasons for coming?"

"Nah, well I embellished a bit. My apartment is truly really small like a shoebox but it's mine you know I'm super proud of it. I have a dayjob writing copy for a graphic design firm. I just quit Starbucks. I was moonlighting as a barista for like the last year until I got this gig. That's all true. I hustled but for once in my life I can say I did it on my own with no help but do I miss this place? No way it's probably a cursed case and point is we're trapped in a closet. The people? Of course. Memories? Definitely."

"What sorts of people and memories?" I won't miss anyone when I leave this town. Maybe the cantina and of course dear old dad but other than that? Meh."

He changed the subject just listening to her talk, "I've missed you, Lola."

She furrowed her brow and looked up at him, "There's not much to miss."

"Remember - remember when you'd send me those silly oomphchats?"

"Of all things and you say that?"

"There's that smile." She got serious again as he added, "It was sort of special in a way." When I'm feeling down I like to look at those old things." He went into his pictures and flipped through them to show her.

She was touched by this confession, "Oh when I had blue hair." She then cleared her throat before speaking and focused her attention back at him, "So what did you want to talk about?"

"It suited you well, but the brown is pretty," Miles then echoed what she had told him when she mums the word on details, "What did I want to talk about? It doesn't matter."

"Touche`."

Maybe it wasn't so bad talking to Miles. Maybe things are different now. He's still respectful, he's still kind the move didn't change him all that much. All she knew was that it was going to be hard to face the disappointed and likely hungry alumni and students whenever they do get out of the closet but in that moment it still mattered but she was just simply living there existing there and in that she felt like even though it's humiliating and she disappointed everyone in a way she feels like she got the closure she needed. Maybe they didn't have to say what was on their minds or at the tip of their tongue. Maybe they could simply exist like before? When everything was happy and nothing hurt? Except that it did hurt when she was second choice to Tristan and even though she had a lot to say she could simply tell it to her journal.

They spent the few hours reminiscing about when they were young kids playing dinosaurs and Power Rangers in the pool until Miles became too cool to spend time with his little sister and her friends until that night. They decided to play a game back and forth asking questions bored, Miles found a place to sit by this time and he realized he could see his breath and he asked Lola, "Are you cold?"

"Freezing. Was that your question?"

"Yes and no."

"Which one was it? Do you want my jacket?" By now they were no longer geographically apart and sitting beside each other by the door.

"I guess since you offered that would be nice," Miles removed his black jacket and red scarf and gave them to Lola.

She wrapped it around her petite frame over her shoulders and quickly buttoned it up and she told him, "thanks."

"Oh I got a good one, any regrets?"

She shrugged as they both inched closer for warmth and possibly other reasons but she hesitated, "None so far."

Just then the darkness turned to light and that's when the door was opened and they both were surprised by who found them.


End file.
